My wife and millions of other people read Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling or Jesus Calling Devotional Bible every day. While doing so their faiths have been strengthened and their lives transformed.

Jesus Calling was written as if Jesus Christ was calling you for a chat. Today’s essay contains wise and thoughtful advice for each of us to consider this Father’s Day.

STAY ON THE HIGH ROAD WITH ME. 1

“Many voices clamor for your attention, trying to divert you to another path. But I have called you to walk ever so closely with Me, soaking in My Presence, living in My Peace. This is My unique design for you, planned before the world began.

Amy, Jill, Eric and I were driving back toward San Jose when Eric pulled the car into a parking lot facing the ocean.

Eric knew that we would love to watch the sun set over the ocean.

While we we admiring the setting, Eric got up without a word and walked over to a pile of sticks. At least that’s what I saw. Jill saw a wood pile that had been gathered and positioned for the evening fire. Eric saw something else.

Today’s my son Josh’s 19th birthday. If you want you can bless him with your happy birthday wishes here on his Facebook.

While I was writing this post I smirked to myself.

My mind filled with witty comments, hilarious stories and silly nicknames that Josh has had over the years. Since I want him to have a birthday in which he gets attention he wants I’ll save most of them for another day.

I’ll just say, that when I wrote that “Hugs and all genuinely welcoming embraces like handshakes, high-fives and fist bumps, connect people through meaningful touch” describes what I think of when I think of Josh.

Have you ever been handcuffed? Even for fun? It’s limiting, restrictive and a bit intimidating.

That’s how I feel about fear. Fear limits, restricts and intimidates me. And it limits, restricts and intimidates you. Doesn’t it?

What causes your fears may be different than what causes mine, but we feel the same way. God wants to free us from the handcuffs that bind us. God wants to free us to be who we were created to be:

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” [Isaiah 41:10]